1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a font retrieval apparatus, a font retrieval method, and a recording medium storing a program for font retrieval, a display device for previewing a font, a display method of previewing a font, and a recording medium storing a program for font preview, a character entry device, a character entry method, and a recording medium storing a program for character entry, and a font data link device and a font data link method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a font of a character or a sign is selected, a list of selectable font names has been conventionally displayed. The name of the font to be used is selected out of the font names whose list is displayed. A user must memorize a correspondence between a font name and a font represented by the font name.
When the number of selectable font names is small, a correspondence between a font name and a font specified by the font name in the mind of the user is simple. Therefore, it is possible to accurately select the name of a font to be used.
However, the larger the number of font names whose list is displayed is, the more difficult a correspondence between a font name and a font represented by the font name is to memorize. It is difficult to accurately select a font the user desires to use.
An object of the present invention is to make it possible to efficiently retrieve a font.
A font retrieval apparatus according to the first invention is characterized by comprising a display device displaying a plurality of partial images which represent a characterizing portion of a character with a plurality of different fonts, a partial image selecting device selecting at least one of the partial images displayed on the display device, and a font output device outputting data representing the font corresponding to the partial image selected by the partial image selecting device.
The first invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned apparatus. That is, the method comprises the steps of displaying a plurality of partial images which represent a characterizing portion of a character with a plurality of different fonts, selecting at least one of the displayed partial images, and outputting data representing the font corresponding to the selected partial image.
Furthermore, the first invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for controlling a computer for the purpose of the above-mentioned font retrieval.
According to the first invention, a list of partial images (Tome, Hane, Harai, Fude-oroshi, or the like) of a character (a character such as an alphabetic character, a Hiragana character, a Katakana character, a Kanji character or a numeric character, a sign, etc.) is displayed on a display screen.
A user selects, from the displayed partial images , the partial image represented by the font to be used. On the basis of the selected partial image, the corresponding font is retrieved out of the fonts and outputted.
It is possible to find by retrieval the font to be used from the displayed partial images. A font name need not be memorized in correspondence with a font. Therefore, a desired font can be found.
It is preferable that at least one of a plurality of characterizing portions of the character is selected, and the plurality of partial images of the selected characterizing portion is displayed. The partial images corresponding to the plurality of fonts of a desired portion of a character is displayed.
A font retrieval apparatus according to the second invention is characterized by comprising a storage device storing relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality modes of a text (writing) corresponding to the font or fonts, a mode selecting device selecting at least one of the modes stored in the storage device, and a font output device outputting a font corresponding to the mode selected by the mode selecting device.
The second invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned apparatus. That is, the method comprises the steps storing relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality modes of a text (writing) corresponding to the font or fonts, selecting at least one of the stored modes, and outputting a font corresponding to the selected mode.
Furthermore, the second invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned font retrieval.
In one embodiment of the second invention, the mode of the text (writing) is a kind of text (writing).
According to the second invention, kinds (Article, Report, Letter, Advertisement, Leaflet, Magazine, Manual, etc.) of the text are previously stored in correspondence with the font or fonts. When the kind of the text is designated by the user, the font or the fonts are outputted in accordance with the designated kind of the text.
A font suitable for the kind of the text is found by retrieval without being designated.
In another embodiment, the mode of the text is the use of a passage, sentence, phrase or clause (text) in a document or a writing.
Uses (Title, Text, Emphasis, Note, Headline, Subhead, Comment, Itemization, etc.) of the text are previously stored in correspondence with the fonts, to cause the user to designate the use of the text. A font suitable for the use for the text is found by retrieval in accordance with the designated use for the text.
A font retrieval apparatus according to the third invention is characterized by comprising a storage device storing relationship between a plurality of main fonts and a plurality sub-fonts corresponding to the main font or main fonts, a main font selecting device selecting at least one of the main fonts stored in the storage device, and a font output device outputting a sub-font corresponding to the main font selected by said main font selecting device.
The third invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned apparatus. That is, the method comprising the steps of storing relationship between a plurality of main fonts and a plurality sub-fonts corresponding to the main font or main fonts, selecting at least one of the stored main fonts, and outputting a sub-font corresponding to the selected main font.
Furthermore, the third invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned font retrieval.
According to the third invention, a main font (Mincho, Gothic, etc) is classified into sub-fonts (Mincho 1, Mincho 2, Mincho 3, Gothic 1, Gothic 2, Gothic 3, etc.).
When a main font is designated, sub-fonts which are included in the designated main font are retrieved out of the stored sub-fonts.
The user can relatively simply find, even if he or she does not know the names of the sub-fonts, the sub-fonts to be used if the user memorizes the name of the main font.
A font retrieval apparatus according to the fourth invention is characterized by comprising a storage device storing relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality kinds of retrieval keys classified into a plurality of groups, the retrieval key being associated with the font or fonts, a display device displaying a plurality of retrieval keys for each group, a retrieval key selecting device selecting at least one of keys with respect to at least one group, and a font output device retrieving and outputting a font associated with the retrieval key selected by the retrieval key selecting device.
The fourth invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned apparatus. That is, the method comprises the steps of storing relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality kinds of retrieval keys classified into a plurality of groups, the retrieval key being associated with the font or fonts, displaying a plurality of retrieval keys for each group, selecting at least one of keys with respect to at least one group, and retrieving and outputting a font associated with the selected retrieval key.
The fourth invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned font retrieval.
In a preferred embodiment, when a plurality of retrieval keys are selected by said retrieval key selecting device, a font which is associated with all of the selected retrieval keys is retrieved.
In one embodiment of the fourth invention, the groups of the retrieval keys are at least two groups selected from a group or groups defined by a partial image of a characterizing portion of a character, a group or groups defined by a mode of a text, and a group defined by a main font, which are described above.
According to the fourth invention, previously stored for each font is a retrieval key (or keys) representing the feature of the font (kinds of or uses for a sentence or a document or text, partial images of portions of a character, etc.). The font is retrieved on the basis of the retrieval key. It is possible to find the font on the basis of the retrieval key.
It is preferable that a list of the results of retrieval is displayed by fonts found by the retrieval. The fonts found by the list display can be perceived with the user""s eye.
In another embodiment of the invention, the storage device stores data representing a number relating to a font in correlation with each font, and the font output device outputs the selected fonts in the order which is represented by the numbers corresponding to the retrieved fonts.
The number may be the number of the retrieval keys associated with the font. The number may be the number of characters entered with the font. Further, the number may be the number of times of use of the font.
The larger the number of retrieval keys associated with a font is, the larger the number of times of use of a font is, and the larger the number of characters entered with a font is, the higher the frequency of use of the font by the user is. The user can find a font whose frequency of use is high without previously memorizing the name of the font.
The fifth invention is directed to a display device for previewing, in order to confirm a font of a character to be entered, the font, characterized by comprising font selection means for selecting at least one of a plurality of fonts, character entry means for entering a character, and preview control means for previewing the character entered from the character entry means on a display screen by the font selected by the font selection means.
The fifth invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned device. That is, in a display device for previewing, in order to confirm a font of a character to be entered, the font, the method comprises the steps of selecting at least one of a plurality of fonts, entering a character, and previewing the entered character on a display screen by the selected font.
The fifth invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned preview.
According to the fifth invention, at least one of the plurality of fonts is selected. The character is entered from the character entry means. The character entered from the character entry means is previewed by the selected font.
The character actually used can be confirmed by the font to be used.
In a display device for previewing, in order to confirm a font of a character to be entered, the font, a display device according to the sixth invention is characterized by comprising font selection means for selecting a first font and a second font, first preview control means for previewing a character having the first font selected by the font selection means in a first display area on a display screen, and second preview control means for previewing a character having the second font selected by the font selection means in a second display area different from the first display area on the display screen.
The sixth invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned device. That is, in a display device for previewing, in order to confirm a font of a character to be entered, the font, the method comprises the steps of selecting a first font and a second font, previewing a character having the selected first font in a first display area on a display screen, and previewing the character having the selected second font in a second display area different from the first display area on the display screen.
The sixth invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned selected font preview.
According to the sixth invention, the first font and the second font are selected. The character having the font selected by the first font selection is displayed in the first preview area. The character having the font selected by the second font selection is displayed in the second preview area.
Since the first preview area and the second preview area exist in the different areas on the display screen, the character having the font selected by the first font selection and the character having the font selected by the second font selection can be compared with each other upon being simultaneously displayed. The desired font can be selected while seeing the characters.
In a display device for previewing, in order to confirm a font of a character to be entered, the font, a display device according to the seventh invention is characterized by comprising font list instruction entry means for entering a font list instruction, and list preview control means for previewing, on the basis of the font list instruction entered from the font list instruction entry means, a list of characters by fonts which can be previewed.
The seventh invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned device. That is, in a display device for previewing, in order to confirm a font of a character to be entered, the font, the method comprises the steps of entering a font list instruction, and previewing, on the basis of the entered font list instruction, a list of characters by fonts which can be previewed.
The seventh invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned preview.
According to the seventh invention, when the font list instruction is entered, the list of the characters is displayed by the fonts which can be previewed. Therefore, the font to be used can be determined while seeing the list.
Desired characters may be entered, and a list of the entered characters may be displayed by fonts which can be previewed. A list of the desired characters is displayed by the fonts which can be previewed.
In a character entry device comprising character entry means for entering a character and display control means for displaying the character entered from the character entry means on a display screen of a display device, a character entry device according to the eighth invention is characterized by comprising font display priority storage means storing the priority for displaying fonts, first entered character display control means for displaying the character entered from the character entry means on the display screen of the display device in accordance with the priority stored in the display priority storage means, font conversion instruction entry means for entering a font conversion instruction, and second entered character display control means for displaying, every time the font conversion instruction is entered from the font conversion instruction entry means, the character entered from the character entry means by the different font on the basis of the priority stored in the font display priority storage means.
The eighth invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned device. That is, in a character entry device comprising character entry means for entering a character and display control means for displaying the character entered from the character entry means on a display screen of a display device, the method comprises the steps of storing the priority for displaying fonts, displaying the entered character on the display screen of the display device in accordance with the stored priority, entering a font conversion instruction, and displaying, every time the font conversion instruction is entered, the entered character by the different font on the basis of the stored priority.
The eighth invention also provides a recording medium storing a program for the above-mentioned font preview.
According to the eighth invention, the priority for displaying the fonts is stored. When the character is entered, the entered character is displayed on the display screen by the font determined by the priority. When the font conversion instruction is entered, the font is converted in accordance with the priority, and the character is displayed by the converted font. The font can be changed into a desired font even while the character is being entered.
By entering the font determination instruction, the font is determined.
It is preferable that the stored priority for displaying the fonts can be changed. The priority can be changed into a priority desired by the user.
A font data link device according to the ninth invention is characterized by comprising font data storage means storing font data for displaying characters, retrieval key entry means for entering a retrieval key relating to the feature of a font, and link means for linking the font data stored in the font data storage means and the retrieval key entered from the retrieval key entry means.
The ninth invention also provides a method suitable for the above-mentioned device. That is, the method comprises the steps of storing font data for displaying characters, entering a retrieval key relating the feature of a font, and linking the stored font data and the entered retrieval key.
According to the ninth invention, it is possible to link the font data and the retrieval key.